Our introduction to felv.

My name is Sable and I recently tested positive for the thing that humans call FELV.

I showed up one day at my current human's aunt's house. No one knows for sure where I came from, or how long I had been on the streets. I was wearing a battered, dirty collar with no identification on it. The human I found had me health tested and I was negative for FELV and FIV. Since she had a cat that doesn't like other cats, my current human volunteered to take me. I've lived here with Brooke, Chloe, and Maus for two and a half years and have been healthy.

A couple of weeks ago I came down with the sniffles so my human took me to the v-e-t. They drew blood - hiss! - and ran some basic tests, including a cbc/sma and a repeat of the felv/fiv test. I've been on antibiotics for a week now and feel totally fine, which is why what came next is a surprise. The results of my blood tests shocked my humans. Everything was normal except for one important detail - that I tested positive for FELV on the IFA test.

What's worse is that I like to play and wrestle with the kitties I live with, and that they too could have this FELV disease. They are going in tomorrow to be tested for it. My human is very sad and scared and would like to learn as much as possible about the disease so she knows what to expect.

Maus and Chloe went in today to be tested to see if they have FELV too, and also other bloodwork was drawn to make sure they are okay. Chloe tested positive on the ELISA test, which was repeated to confirm. They are sending her blood out for the IFA test to see if she has it. Maus tested negative on the ELISA and, like the rest of us, will be retested in a few months. Brooke is going tomm0row to be tested. It would be impossible to separate Maus, Chloe, and me because we do everything together. especially Maus who is prone to urinary blockages if stressed or upset.